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14
N. C. Waterfront Access Study Committee April 2007
Examples include, but are not limited to: public boat ramps and other boat launching
sites; public mooring facilities; waterfront parks and boardwalks; and public rights-of-
way adjacent to North Carolina Department of Transportation bridges.
Retaining and Enhancing Working Waterfronts
North Carolina’s fishing industry, including commercial, recreational and
charter/ headboat components, is an important economic sector within the State. Typically,
commercial landings range in value from $ 60 million to $ 100 million annually, which does
not take into account the value of in- State seafood processing activities. The overall value of
recreational angling activities in the State has been estimated by the National Marine
Fisheries Service to be more than $ 1 billion annually.
Beyond economic values, however, fishing activity supports important social and
cultural aspects that are essential in defining the State’s coastal resource and living heritage.
Commercial fishing and all its ancillary activities are a way of life that, in the case of many
native resident families and their communities, goes back 200 years or more. Clearly, the
passion and poignancy with which many speakers at the public comment meetings addressed
commercial fishing’s cultural and community meaning and heritage was sobering.
Recreational fishing — in all of its forms ( shore and private boat anglers, and charter/ head
boat fishing) — while more recent in its growth and magnitude of importance, provides
escape, relaxation and leisure/ sporting/ aesthetic opportunities to all the State’s citizens and
tourists.
The State’s boating industry also constitutes a major economic force. According to
University of North Carolina’s Marine Science and Marine Trades Task Force, 3,500 marine-related
companies, 100 boat- builders, 30,000 jobs, and annual sales of more than $ 500
million are the result of the State’s vibrant boating- related industry ( e. g., marinas, boat
building, boat repair and haul- out) with a large share of the firms and activities occurring in
or impacting the State’s 20 coastal counties. A recent study of the economic impact of the
Oregon Inlet attests not only to the importance of ocean and waterway access, but to the
diversity and scope of the marine industry, inclusive of boating and fishing related
( charter/ head boat enterprises and boat- based angling) activities. Similar to fishing, such
boating- related activities and operations, especially those sited on the waterfront, provide a
range of leisure opportunities for North Carolina residents and tourists, and have maritime
cultural and heritage aspects that can be discovered and appreciated.
Prior to and also prompting formation of the Waterfront Access Study Committee,
several key groups recognized all of these important aspects of coastal waterfront- based and
dependent industries. But, in doing so, these groups also relayed a message of serious
concern. For example, an N. C. Marine Fisheries Commission ( MFC) resolution recognized
fishing for its “ vital role in the history, culture and economy of eastern North Carolina.”
MFC members also cited the “ importance of the diverse range of commercial and
recreational endeavors associated with fishing, including boat building, seafood marketing”
and that “ special measures can and must be taken to ensure maintenance of public access to
coastal public trust waters despite the ongoing trend of privatization, soaring real estate
values, and overall reduction in commercial and recreational fisheries infrastructure.” The
N. C. Coastal Resources Commission voiced equal conviction and concern when it passed a
similar resolution.

14
N. C. Waterfront Access Study Committee April 2007
Examples include, but are not limited to: public boat ramps and other boat launching
sites; public mooring facilities; waterfront parks and boardwalks; and public rights-of-
way adjacent to North Carolina Department of Transportation bridges.
Retaining and Enhancing Working Waterfronts
North Carolina’s fishing industry, including commercial, recreational and
charter/ headboat components, is an important economic sector within the State. Typically,
commercial landings range in value from $ 60 million to $ 100 million annually, which does
not take into account the value of in- State seafood processing activities. The overall value of
recreational angling activities in the State has been estimated by the National Marine
Fisheries Service to be more than $ 1 billion annually.
Beyond economic values, however, fishing activity supports important social and
cultural aspects that are essential in defining the State’s coastal resource and living heritage.
Commercial fishing and all its ancillary activities are a way of life that, in the case of many
native resident families and their communities, goes back 200 years or more. Clearly, the
passion and poignancy with which many speakers at the public comment meetings addressed
commercial fishing’s cultural and community meaning and heritage was sobering.
Recreational fishing — in all of its forms ( shore and private boat anglers, and charter/ head
boat fishing) — while more recent in its growth and magnitude of importance, provides
escape, relaxation and leisure/ sporting/ aesthetic opportunities to all the State’s citizens and
tourists.
The State’s boating industry also constitutes a major economic force. According to
University of North Carolina’s Marine Science and Marine Trades Task Force, 3,500 marine-related
companies, 100 boat- builders, 30,000 jobs, and annual sales of more than $ 500
million are the result of the State’s vibrant boating- related industry ( e. g., marinas, boat
building, boat repair and haul- out) with a large share of the firms and activities occurring in
or impacting the State’s 20 coastal counties. A recent study of the economic impact of the
Oregon Inlet attests not only to the importance of ocean and waterway access, but to the
diversity and scope of the marine industry, inclusive of boating and fishing related
( charter/ head boat enterprises and boat- based angling) activities. Similar to fishing, such
boating- related activities and operations, especially those sited on the waterfront, provide a
range of leisure opportunities for North Carolina residents and tourists, and have maritime
cultural and heritage aspects that can be discovered and appreciated.
Prior to and also prompting formation of the Waterfront Access Study Committee,
several key groups recognized all of these important aspects of coastal waterfront- based and
dependent industries. But, in doing so, these groups also relayed a message of serious
concern. For example, an N. C. Marine Fisheries Commission ( MFC) resolution recognized
fishing for its “ vital role in the history, culture and economy of eastern North Carolina.”
MFC members also cited the “ importance of the diverse range of commercial and
recreational endeavors associated with fishing, including boat building, seafood marketing”
and that “ special measures can and must be taken to ensure maintenance of public access to
coastal public trust waters despite the ongoing trend of privatization, soaring real estate
values, and overall reduction in commercial and recreational fisheries infrastructure.” The
N. C. Coastal Resources Commission voiced equal conviction and concern when it passed a
similar resolution.